Halloween is the most spooky time of the year, but it’s a fun time too! Hordes of trick-or-treaters trek through the neighborhood in search of the best Halloween house experience, and you can be sure that word spreads fast among sugared-up witches and ghosts. There are two things under intense scrutiny when those trick-or-treaters come knocking at your door: the amount of candy and the eerie atmosphere.
Now, we can’t tell you what the best candy bar is (hint: the bigger the bar, the better), but we can definitely help you out with the creepy decorations! Whether you’re just setting out a bowl of candy on the front step or going all-out for a truly ghostly experience, these tips and ideas will get you all set for a happy haunting.
The Basics
Before you sink your teeth into the rest of the decorating, get these basics handled first. These elements will help take your house from tame to terrifying!
Lighting
Lighting is key to your house’s spook levels. String lights or tea lights are more reliable (and safer) than traditional candles, whether they’re standalone or tucked inside a pumpkin. Red or orange lighting is an excellent choice because they create unnatural colors in the shadows, which causes our minds to feel uneasy or frightened in itself. Just be sure that there is plenty of light, regardless of the color, for visitors to see where they’re going so nobody takes a nasty fall – fake blood only, please.
Clear a Path
Decorations of tombstones and giant monsters are all part of the fun, but make sure there isn’t anything blocking the path to your home. Too many items crammed into the walking space might discourage visitors from coming up to your porch, or could trip them on the way out. Load up all the lights, fog machines, and special effects that you want, just be sure to keep the wires and equipment safely tucked away from the main walkways!
Killer Costumes
You’re already going to great lengths to create an image for your house on Halloween night. Imagine that the kids are walking through your yard or horrors, up to your terrifying front porch, and nervously ring the doorbell. The door slowly creaks open, and you emerge, wearing – jeans and a practical sweater. Kind of kills the mood. Consider dressing up for the occasion to keep the illusion from breaking!
Outdoor Decorations
The outside of the house is the first part, or maybe the only part of your home that people will see – so don’t be afraid to go big!
Lured by the Lawn
Your front lawn is the perfect place to set the stage for your spooky house! If your neighbors don’t mind an eyesore, let the grass grow out for a few weeks leading up to Halloween. An overgrown yard makes your house look abandoned, which only adds to the creepiness. Scatter some plastic tombstones throughout the lawn, or some skulls for extra eerie vibes. Remember to keep things askew and crooked rather than lining them up in a neat row!
Trick or Tree
The trees in your front yard can play a big role in the ghostly vibes of your outdoor decorations. Cover them with spider webs, hang some creepy-crawly spiders from the branches, or tuck two lights in the leaves to look like glowing eyes. If you really want to up the ante, decorate all your trees to have menacing faces – noses, mouths, even facial hair. Their eyes will seem to watch every move you make!
Freaky Front Porch
The last nail in the coffin is your front porch. This is the focal point of your whole ensemble, the place where all the magic happens, so choose your decorations wisely! Cover everything you can with spider webs, especially if you’re going for the abandoned house theme. Place some “glowing eyes” in the windows if you haven’t done that in your trees already – or add some more for added terror! Skeletons, fake rats, and plenty of jack-o-lanterns are your best friends for front porch décor.
Indoor Decorations
Are you hosting a ghastly get-together, but the thought of decorating sends chills down your spine? Try these easy yet eerie ideas!
Frightful Furniture
Just a few simple touches can make your house look spectacularly spooky. Cover your chairs and couches with white sheets to make your home look like a deserted haunted house. Take some old black tablecloths or sheets and cut ragged edges around them, then drape them over your tables. If you have some old, worse-for-wear candlesticks, now is the perfect time to break them out!
Weird Walls
Add to the abandoned haunted house look by draping white cloths over any painting or pictures you have on the walls. If there are glass panes in front of those photos, you can smear some fake blood across the glass for a sinister touch. You could also draw creepy eyes or write scary things like “HELP” or “RUN AWAY” on mirrors in your halls! Do you have some spiderwebs leftover from decorating your outdoor space? Hang some on your walls, too! The cobwebs and white fabrics will make your visitors feel like they’ve been thrown right into a horror film!
Disturbing Details
Now that you have the big fixtures taken care of, it’s time to summon the details forth. Fill some glass jars with water, then add a few drops of green dye to make the water super green. Drop some strange items in the jars, like parts of a doll, dead flowers, or fake eyeballs. Voila! You’ve got your own specimen jars to sprinkle throughout your haunted house. To add to the ambiance even further, replace all of the bulbs in your lamps with dim ones to give your guests the gift of ghostly shivers!
